Critique of The Witcher: S2, Episode 2 - Most Controversial Decision by Netflix

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Eskel in the games and books: loyal good natured career witcher who stays out of the affairs of kings and sorceress Eskel on Netlfix: I AM GROOT

[@Lrodpotato]

Yea and don't forget that for some reason he's an asshole and has an inferiority complex. It's like they decided to switch Eskel and Lambert personality wise. But the new Lambert is practicially invisible and simply gets told he isn't smart by everyone else.

[@brandons.7056]

every other witcher media: "Lambert Lambert, what a prick" Netflix: "Eskel Eskel, what a prick"

[@bottomlefto]

but still finds time to huff some fisstech and bang succubi. work hard, play hard. eskellionaire grindset.

[@Puppy_Puppington]

Lmfao.

[@SromolKhmer]

😂👍

[@vrtlmuwu]

The thing that bugged me the most about this version of Eskel is that they portrayed him as this insufferable horny douchebag, but when they killed him off they tried their hardest to make us care and be sad about his death. There are like, several scenes with people being sad over Eskel’s wooden corpse. The whole subplot served no real purpose. Think about it: remove all the Eskel scenes and nothing really changes. Happy Holidays to you and the family!

[@xLetalis]

indeed ;[

[@yc3155]

My thoughts exactly while watching the show...

[@DexterNewton32]

yea. Letalis nailed it 100% when he said they should have just made this plot point revolve around an unknown no-name Witcher. Give them a name, show his bond to Geralt, then do the whole leshen thing. Nothing would be lost.

[@tahirmadawaki2620]

there is a theory that eskel that came to kaer morhen was a doppler sent by vilgefortz

[@eel.3170]

@@tahirmadawaki2620 i really hope that's the case cause hate how this played out

[@tommyvercetti3263]

i feel bad for Henry i think he is the only one who cares...also it's funny how Lauren Hissrich the showrunner keeps saying how she loves the books but her show is like 90% different from the books

[@Helstar666]

also she said that they could kill any unknown witcher , but she decide to kill Eskel which define Geralt now , that was the most stupid thing i ever heard !

[@tommyvercetti3263]

@@Helstar666 yes she has to be careful what decisions she will take for the next season because if she keeps doing these lame changes the show will lose the fans of the books and the ones of the game

[@ItsMeStrider]

Not just different, she blatantly kills beloved original characters and shoves her fanfic characters down everyone's throats even when they don't help progress the story at all.

[@r.d.6290]

@@tommyvercetti3263 not just the nerds she hates, but all the people that used to like this show. Just like what happened to game of thrones after some bad changes made before the last seasons.

[@mohamedhichemmouzali6505]

@@ItsMeStrider she killed eskel to make room for coen

[@c292r89dvbh]

Lauren killed off Eskel because, in her own words, "I’ve read the books many times, and (sorry!) Eskel didn’t leave a huge impression. I was more interested in the divisiveness of Lambert, the softness of Coen - which clearly the fans don’t agree with!" So she made him as unlikeable as possible, killed him off and expected us to care - even though she doesn't care about Eskel either?

[@whitegoose2017]

Didn't read the books and didn't even play Witcher 3 before I had seen the netflix show. Eskel's character in the Netflix adaptation was so damn impactful that I didn't even put a name to his face. God damn the Netflix series is awful. It feels like a mess.

[@kronoscamron7412]

just because you dont like a character, does not mean she can kill him off, he was geralt's oldest and closest witcher friend.

[@whitegoose2017]

@@kronoscamron7412 Eskelt was killed off before he even had a character :(

[@driftingdruid]

Shows how selfish and money-hungry Lauren is

[@whitegoose2017]

​@@driftingdruid The entire Witcher adaptation could have just been Witcher short stories. That's a concept been done to death already by different tv series like Star Trek and so on, but it could've worked. Every episode can be its own miniature bottled story. This adaptation doesn't make sense and it felt like a jumbled mess. Just have Geralt do a monster hunt, face it a moral dilemma or have him participate in the one he really hates. Politics. But nah.. let's have our story do everything at the same time. Let's have a mystery fantasy, let's have some politics, let's have some game of thrones, some horror story too and THEN LETS CRAM IT ALL INTO 8 EPISODES OVER 2 SEASONS.

[@Thelionpaladin]

Imagine paying millions of dollars for the rights to books that hand you the plot, then just making bizarre writing changes that don’t even go anywhere

[@masumi1990x]

Without the rights to adapt and Henry Cavill in the cast, no one would even look at this creation.

[@Kelnx]

It's really bizarre. It's well known you can't just turn a book straight into a screenplay, but making weird changes that don't serve the story or anything makes no sense. I just don't think the writers or director really understand the source material. And even worse, most of the actors and actresses (besides and Henry Cavil and the fellow who plays Dandelion) admit they've never played the games or read any of the books. That's ridiculous to me. I mean, if you get a role for a character and all you have to go on is within the bounds of what the director and writers give you, it's your character and you can play it how you want. When it's a character based on mounds of source material, you need to research the source material. It's acting 101. Like, if you've never read any Shakespeare and you get the role of Hamlet and never bother to read Hamlet, I don't care how well the writing and direction is, you'll be a shit Hamlet. It's just utter incompetence to not study a character based on a book or a game or both. I don't care if you don't like reading fantasy or playing video games. Don't tell me how tough going through makeup or sword training was in an interview if you couldn't be assed to do the easy part and actually study your character. Or how hard it was to write a screenplay and you never really understood the story it was based on.

[@HerrJaeger64]

@@Kelnx completely agree. Its just laziness and assuming that people will like your style of acting over the source material. Disrespectful

[@r.d.6290]

Aren't there usually some legal additions to a contract clarifying what changes you can and can't do to the original work? To prevent reputational losses to the IP, basically. Or Sapkowski really did sell his rights so cheap to Netflix?

[@MyBrainGlows]

@@r.d.6290 If you buy the source material you can do what you want with it. Sapkowski was also angry about the games but later wanted MORE money from the studio. He is just an old angry man who cant handle the truth that no one outside of poland would have read his books or bought the movie rights without the games. He just wants to cash in on his late prominence. And i still think as a series based on a book its good enough if you realize that no one has to go by the written story - what would be boring btw.

[@korpakukac]

-Netflix: "The show is based on the books and we intend to follow them closely" -Fans: How much do you want to butcher the original story? -Netflix: "YES"

[@MahoneyBadger]

They should have just done it as a spin ooff, sequel or prequel. The video games did well because they took the characters and some themes and made their own thing. But Netflix said they are gunna do the books, hut then did their own thing anyways. 😂 what?

[@brandonmunson9781]

they couldnt even follow the short stories properly

[@oskarpalus2846]

@@brandonmunson9781 they couldnt even follow their own universe anime so following books is a tall order.

[@nela3986]

@@MahoneyBadger yeah, their own moronic thing and a part of the audience watches and goes "uuuh, boobs and separate limbs.... Cool".

[@nerdlingeeksly5192]

@@MahoneyBadger a spin oof, the squeamwill to the witcher anime that is cringetacular

[@mvick4198]

I wouldn't have minded eskel dying if they would have at least built up his character and we got to know him so his death actually meant something to the audience.

[@redith137]

Right? My friend doesnt play the games or the books and said that to him he was just a Red shirt character to show a monster. And I hate it, but I agree

[@goromajima6169]

So true,they just kill him like a nobody

[@94EyeEagle]

speaking of dying, wait until they get to the Battle of Brenna and kill off Coen

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@goromajima6169 I disagree-they’re placing the weight on what fans know of Eskel from the games and (to a lesser degree) books Which, if anything, is more lazy than treating him like a nobody

[@minutiaesays]

Supposedly his behaviour was because of the Leshen, but like. None of the other witchers seemed bothered by abberant behaviour. Therefore, he's always been a bit of a dick. So nope.

[@carlys8439]

I think its amazing how a storyline in a computer game can be so much better than the storyline of a huge tv production

[@MultiKalwin]

Why? Do you not understand the production costs of live-action versus a video game? I mean, just playing for the Bloody Baron was the amount of time it took to watch season 2.

[@MrTerrorzone2012]

The games where smart imo. Instead of retelling the books and changing thigns so it works better as a game they just made up a sequel to the books. They also stayed true to the characters for the most part. Second don't underestimate video game writing. it's comes a super long way there are games that not only have better writing then movies and books but can tell a story in a way no other media can

[@MultiKalwin]

@Ariadne exactly, but your making a comparison between live action and video game story potential. Maybe season 1 and season 2 should have been 100 episodes each so they can develop story to your liking?

[@MultiKalwin]

@Ariadne right... well maybe when you get a television series you can do an entire season just on this episode. Obviously that would be awesome. But to the original point, video game can tell a much more in-depth story for a tiny fraction of the cost and time producing.

[@MultiKalwin]

@Ariadne that's not my argument... but you're right, even some of the short side Quests had amazing stories. And some of them were very generic. Still an unfair comparison to the OP's point.

[@dermegger7733]

Funny thing how Geralt almost dies while being pressed against a wall by the Eskel-Leshen thing and tries reaching for a torch to burn it when he can literally summon fire from his hands.

[@AnnaTodorova_piano]

Yeeessss 🤣🤣🤣

[@christiansantamaria7233]

Yeah and geralt would never kill anyone with a curse they didnt deserve but nope he just straight up kills him

[@corruptangel6793]

As someone who hasn't read the books (I do intend to check them out eventually), my biggest issue with Eskel was that there was CLEARLY something wrong with him beyond him simply being in pain, yet non of the Witchers seemed to notice or care. If I was part of a group that specilized in hunting *monsters* and one of the members arrived fresh from fighting one looking and acting like that, I'd immediately want him to strip and so we could perform a full body examination to make sure he's not possessed or infected with something. Especially after he claimed to make such a novice mistake as not realising, for 6 hours, that fire is the go to method when fighting a wooden monster. Vessemir's lack of reaction also severly contradicts his attitude later on in the season where it's made clear just how much he cares for his boys.

[@feuerzeug48]

read the books and compare it to the netflix adaptation and you will know, that they interpreted 90 % of the story wrong or made it up in the first place

[@corruptangel6793]

@@feuerzeug48 oh I already know that, and it goes without saying because it's an adaptation. I'm saying the logic in the show itself doesn't make sense. Eskel was simply the sacrificial goat they used to achieve their desired action scene, meaning that his character's legacy (in the show) is making everyone look stupid and further hurting the structural integrity of the story/world they're trying to craft.

[@feuerzeug48]

@@corruptangel6793 and i just wanted to say, that you should read the books, because the witcher is so much more than this netflix bullshit

[@tomaszbuzaa7322]

Read the books man, or get an audiobook version if you don't wanna read. Let me put it this way: once you go through 2 or 3 chapters you will throw the show out of the window, and after 4-5 chapters you will forget the show ever existed. It's just the books and the games that are masterpieces. The tv show is just awful.

[@corruptangel6793]

@@tomaszbuzaa7322 I'm fully aware the show is crap, I don't need the books to know that. And I already said in my initial comment that I do plan to read the books eventually. But right now I don't have the money or the time.

[@fabman0318]

Henry's giving a stellar Geralt performance and it clealrly shows he has an investment in the source material, but it appears he's the only one.

[@diplod5000]

Yup!

[@ryanwoodruff1863]

This is not blame to pin on the actors. Its the scriptwriters, director(s) etc that are responsible for how the characters are portrayed. Yes there are scenes with bad acting, but most of the scenes are bad writing and lack of direction.

[@robertvittitoe1195]

How dare you slander Jaskier.

[@thegreenreaper6660]

Its due to the réal owners of the production: Netflix. Netflix has become too big a company to respect quality, and come with a wéll-written series. Kinda like how HBO's ripped of the GoT-endings... They only care about MONEY! They thínk that by adding special effects and some shock-effect of killing off important characters, they gain populairity, but they only limit their own story's potential. The same has happened to WoW, thanks to Blizzard becoming a corporate entity under Activision's tutelage: They care about MONEY! Some product to make them profit...and you can see that in World of Warcraft nowadays, especially when you compare it to what WoW wás, during TBC, or WOTLK, when there was an entire story developing over several expansions even... now they just want a quick cashgrab.

[@HypocriteHunter666]

@@robertvittitoe1195 Joey is the other one who put in enough effort to portray dandelion/Jaskier

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

At this point I wouldn't be too surprised if Bonhart appeared in Season 3 and was killed by Dandelion.

[@r.d.6290]

Yeah, behold Dandy Lion the Crimson Avenger

[@alexisea8874]

@@r.d.6290 hahahaha crimson avenger beated geralt tho

[@NoOne-hl2eo]

@@og4407 I won't even be surprised if they really do that, it's Netflix after all.

[@tonyng9]

They'll probably just merge Bonhart and Cahir at this point and keep Cahir evil. He's such a cultist, I don't know how they are going to redeem him. The Netflix show introduced demons like the Deathless Mother and I think they said that they are going to make the Wild Hunt be the endgame villain. And they are intent on making a lot of cool monster fights. There isn't much room for the boring human villain Bonhart.

[@Witcherino]

Sounds like better writing than what Netflix is doing, to be honest.

[@thelaw6267]

The show continues the trend started by Nightmare of the Wolf in making a complete and utter mockery of Kaer Morhen, Vesemir and all of Witcher kind really. Turning them into useless, mean spirited, unprofessional, hedonistic redshirts dressed in peasant clothing instead of proper Witcher armor who invite prostitutes to the sacred, secretive remains of the school their brothers were murdered at in a pogrom, can't even handle a couple Basilisks while Geralt is one shotting worse monsters, have too many survivors of the pogrom, 20 Witchers, when it should be 4 Wolf Witchers left in the entire world, they've erased the other Witcher Schools from the canon, and have Vesemir wanting to go behind Geralt's back and put Ciri through the Trial of the Grasses that girls can't even survive, and getting his ass kicked by Rience of all people. Witcher senses and medallions not working and getting their throats ludicrously slit in bed by demon possessed Ciri (have to Subvert Expectations with the Witchers Never Die In Their Beds theme), and let's not forget Elder Blood is now conveniently the key component to Witcher mutations, because Witchers control time, space and give prophecies now, apparently. And Vesemir the fencing instructor suddenly knows how to make new Witchers, when the secrets of mutation were taken to the grave with the sorcerers who ran the School. Lauren Hissrich is a talentless hack showrunner on par with Dumb and Dumber's Game Of Thrones. It's pathetic, and the future of the Witcher franchise is now only in the hands of CDPR. Assuming they ever get around to making more games instead of Gwent updates.

[@cipher136]

Seriously how hard was it to stick to THE MATERIAL. GoT idiots at least had the excuse of running out of material but THERE IS NO LACK OF MATERIAL HERE!!! I hate I even gave the 1st season a chance as this 2nd season is killing me.

[@Lavrec]

there werent 4 witchers in the world because bonhart was hunting them and also in some stories like with striga there were other witchers who took on quest but were bribed to leave it be.

[@perunsnowhammer]

@@Lavrec 4 WOLF SCHOOL Witchers

[@markusfreund6961]

@@cipher136 Seriously, how hard is it to understand that, exactly like with Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, GoT, TLoU and many other franchises, they never even intended to stick to the material? They intend to destroy what is dear to us, or, in their slavering drivel, to "subvert" the "expectations" of "toxic white incels" in order to "deconstruct" "oppressive" "narratives". Luckily, this review came across before I could foolishly re-sub for this show.

[@BM-wf9uf]

I think you're being overly dramatic lol. The first season was good and most of season 2 was decent. Funny how people are willing to forget all of that just over Eskel's death and their interpretation of Vesemir.

[@Nitin-hh9li]

I think Henry Cavill is cursed with bad writers or very good writers that make bad choices. When he plays superman or Geralt. He is the only one who appreciates these characters during production, but the suits running everything completely butcher the characters and stories around them. Sadly for him, he has to stay professional and within limits as an actor. I really hope one day he makes so much money and gains influence like Stallone, that he can continue this project to a stage where the story is sourced from the game

[@yurikorniienko4893]

And makes awesome warhammer 40k movie

[@JRSRLN]

He was great in Mission: Impossible Fallout, that's worth a watch.

[@ek9385]

@@yurikorniienko4893 this aged well

[@tunacemuzuner4736]

19:37 That's the Lannister emblem. A tribute to D&D indicating that Lauren Hissrich is following their footsteps into destroying an amazing universe. She must be a huge fan...

[@knell18897]

No it's not, It's a wolf.

[@Ignisan_66]

Lmao so true. Hissrich is a hack and a fraud. Don't get why Netflix hasn't fired her yet.

[@saranemcova5448]

I can be wrong, but when I saw it, especially next to games' medalion, I thought of Leo. You know, lion = Leo. For those who don't know, Leo was a witcher trainee in the first game, he was created by game creators. He died shortly after beginning of the game.

[@driftingdruid]

Had to re-read cuz I associate D&D with something leagues above the likes of Dan & David

[@C0LPAN1C]

D&D had six seasons of source material. What’s Lauren’s excuse?

[@westrim]

75% of the problem is that they made it Eskel, instead of one of the dozen new Witchers. Give him almost any other name, and it's fine. Mostly fine. There's still the issue of creating a bunch of new story and ignoring a bunch of original story with no apparent reasoning. Issues like how many ways there are to kill a Leshen are interesting, but ultimately excusable if it otherwise works well, but that those issues exist is perhaps a symptom of how sloppy the production is being. Having a Leshen infected Witcher meet a sad end isn't a bad story, it's how they executed it.

[@gorgit]

Nah, having a witcher becoming a freaking leshen is such a far stretch, it shouldnt even be considered fanfiction.

[@westrim]

@@gorgit What would it be fanfiction of? Leshen are inherently mysterious creatures. There's no lore, real world or in universe, for how they reproduce that I'm aware of. And a forest guardian coopting a civilization guardian is the kind of poetry I can get behind.

[@YaboitheCadian]

And then they replace Eskel with a random no name witcher at Lambert's side. Narrativly speaking all they did was just swap him out. Disrespectful

[@pp-wo1sd]

@@YaboitheCadian I think that's coen

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@pp-wo1sd yeah it's him, though I'm not even sure anyone ever said his name in the show

[@Okkotsu86275]

Apparently Eskel was killed to "motivate" Geralt. That's what the showrunner claimed. I call it terrible and lazy writing

[@alexisea8874]

motivates? and geralt just turn around saying nothing hahaha such writers they have there

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@alexisea8874 Correct. No emotional impact whatsoever. I love Eskel so much and I'm just hurt by this. And not in a good way 😢😭

[@jonathanmasilela1569]

Motivate?! To do what?!

[@Okkotsu86275]

@@jonathanmasilela1569 I guess to take the threat or danger seriously

[@UnifiedEntity]

Motivate him? Motivate him to do what?

[@QuangTran27]

Rest in peace Eskel. Remembered by fans, forgotten by dumb writers who don't know their source materials.

[@sven4049]

Yeah thats sad

[@Jerham]

They really messed him up. 😑

[@atsukikuroe2613]

F

[@danger6956]

Well at least he got to "Summon the Bitches!!!" Before he died.

[@HickoryDickory86]

No "rest in peace," because that's for people who have died, and Eskel isn't dead. I neither know nor care who this new character was supposed to be in the show, but it wasn't Eskel. Coincidentally, "Yennefer" isn't Yennefer, "Fringilla" isn't Fringilla, "Francesca" isn't Francesca, etc. This show is just garbage. I gave the first season a chance, but now I'm all outta chances for and goodwill towards anyone involved... except Henry Cavill, who seems to be the only one who gives a damn about the source material.

[@siruhtredson5672]

I was really looking forward for the scene of the arrival of Geralt and Ciri at Kaer Morhen. I read the books so I was waiting for the warm, brotherly welcome of Geralt by other fellow witchers. The amount of the witchers present in the great hall kinda surprised me but I was fine with it. But to me, the scene lacked the emotion I was expecting to be there and the brotherhood witcher chemistry was not that strong like in the Blood of the Elves book. Also the scene with the prostitutes and even Vesemir finding it normal was a big No No for me. Showrunners really did butcher the whole Kaer Morhen chapter. In my opinion, Coen was the best part of it and actor did a good job. Lambert was, I guess OK, and I wont even spend my time talking about what they did to my favorite character Eskel... Sadly, as a die-hard fan of the Witcher unvierse I am really really disappointed with the series and I think I like season one more.

[@DexterNewton32]

yea the only part about Kaer Morhen I really liked was Lambert. Ik he wasnt as much of a prick as in the books but really, for me it seemed like they went for and nailed the 'lovable' crude asshole kind of vibe. And they portrayed his kind of antagonism towards Triss well later on. So Lambert was a highlight for me. Other than that, as someone who read the books and played the games (the latter first) this whole KM section felt like I was in a weird mirror universe. I constantly had this thing of 'hey I know this character/place' recognition only for it to be so different that I felt lost and confused, not knowing where this was going. Me having read the books 5+ years ago, I constantly doubted myself and was like 'wait am I remembering it wrong? I dont get it. This isn't how it was, right? Right??'

[@DexterNewton32]

Same goes for the show overall really. Especially the stuff with the Elves and Yens whole plot. And then the Deathless Mother shit. I was like 'wait, who is this chatacter? Did I skip a book somewhere?'

[@szoq1503]

@@DexterNewton32 Yoo I felt the same way. I even paused the show couple of times, to google parts of the books, because I was scared my memory is fucked.

[@TaIIer]

@@DexterNewton32 so the stuff with the elves and the deathless mother isn’t in the books ? Figured

[@carlover49]

I was a little shocked seeing Eskel die like that. They could’ve done so much more with him in the later episodes. Such a shame

[@c0222]

I immediately went online to google how he came back from it cause I’ve played the games but not read all the books

[@casualcookin3893]

@@c0222 The books,the game and it seems the series all have nothing in common between them,they are all different stories (kinda like a multiverse),as Eskel is alive in the games which take part later in the story,and the game are non cannon to the books

[@c0222]

@@casualcookin3893 the games and the books I consider canon, not this series though for obvious reasons

[@tij4293]

This should have been one of my favourite episodes of the season. It's one of the only places Ciri felt, if not like home, then safe at least. God, even Geralt says it multiple times in the series, "the world outside this walls is a dangerous place." And Ciri's first impression of Kaer Morhen: drunk witchers with prostitutes, leshen and panic. In the temple, when Ciri was supposed to bond with Yennefer and feel safe, instead they made Yennefer! almost betray Geralt and Ciri and kick Ciri out in her first night. In the books, Ciri will be always on the run and in danger later, they screwed the very moments giving her family, motivation and good memories. Great Lauren, I don't believe her saying she cares and loves the books anymore. What bothers me is that the creators think they're doing a great job with all those high ratings. When instead of a promised faithful adaptation we got a mediocre fanfiction at best, instead of a masterpiece, a generic Hollywood fantasy series. This saddens me a lot. There is even a petition to replace showrunner but I doubt if it has any effect.

[@ladansemakabre]

couldn't say it better myself. at this point, they should let Henry run the show, he is the only one who genuinely cares about the books. Lauren just wants to do her own bad fanfiction.

[@authenticpoppy]

FWIW, the fans of The Walking Dead (comics) made a lot of noise over the showrunner and he departed after the terrible 'Get in the house, Carl' season. That was AMC. Netflix responded to fans of Sense8 when they made a lot of noise over cancelling on a cliffhanger. There was a movie to wrap up the story.

[@tracymetherell8744]

I couldn’t agree more!

[@user-bb9gj4rk1d]

After Season 1 it would have been almost impossible to fix the mistakes in the story and character arcs. So in Season 2 they made a tough decision: they gave up. I can actually respect this. The show is non-canon now. Maybe it is for the better.

[@ladansemakabre]

@@user-bb9gj4rk1d what bothers me is that Lauren as well as the actors (though it's not *their* fault, only hers) were talking like they were actually being super loyal to the books this time around, knowing damn well *everything* was changed. for example, Joey talked about his character being explored more and having a darker side (which didn't happen in the show, he was literally describing what happens in the Blood Of Elves book). and that honestly sucked. we were practically baited in every interview lol.

[@dernhelm1729]

That girl in Yennefer's vision confused me so much. If it was meant to be a younger version of her, then wouldn't she be depicted as a hunchback? Or did the showrunners forget a significant part of Yen's arc in Season 1?

[@r.d.6290]

I would have never thought this was a "kid Yennefer" untill reading stuff on internet... Just a random creepy demonic girl trying to seduce an old sorceress.

[@malcolm4737]

Yennefer kinda forgot that she was a hunchback.

[@shadowofhawk55]

Dany kinda forgot about the Iron Fleet.

[@JazzzyChef]

@@shadowofhawk55 Haha The famous "Kinda forgot"

[@xLetalis]

at first I thought it was a grown up version of her baby, but she doesn't have elven ears, and if I remember correctly, Yen claims she saw a younger version of herself in those dreams, though I could be misremembering

[@DragonZombie2000]

Yennefer cussing nonstop is really putting me out of the show. Everytime I try to turn my brain off to enjoy it, Yennefer cusses again and I die a little more

[@xLetalis]

I know how you feel

[@Alex-dn5ns]

Seriously. I swear, it feels like the writing is done by a bunch of edgy teens who thinks cursing non-stop makes you look cool or something.

[@r.d.6290]

I had to switch audio to the Russian voiceover everytime Yennefer was speaking, so that she sound less juvenile. But it doesn't help anymore in season 2. The wording itself ruins her character, she is not a wise and dangerous 100+ years old sorceress anymore.

[@user-lu9lf8xr9d]

@@r.d.6290 as far as the show is concerned, she never was, the season one timeline only covers like 60-some-odd years

[@alexisea8874]

@@r.d.6290 she is more like a 15 years old little mage and she tries to impress the other kids

[@HHMDC]

I feel sorry for Henry and Joey, they really seem to want this show to work, but then the wirters and producers just keep doing whatever they want. The first scene with Eskel gave me this no-no vibe and since this chapter I'm watching this show as a twisted fanfiction, also cause is hard to get attached to the characters.... Thank you for your videos, xLetalis, looking forward to the next!

[@c0222]

I immediately went online to google how he came back from dying in this episode cause I’ve played the games but not read all the books.

[@cosmic2750]

@@c0222 Yep. As someone coming from the games you can make that mistake. But Eskel never died in the books.

[@AlgorithmDG]

Why did they make Eskel so weak? He's supposed to be a super powerful Witcher like Geralt, perhaps even moreso according to triss and her senses in the books.

[@JohnDoe-dj3lw]

Better than the White Wolf? Mmh naah. Best swordsman in the Continent

[@josuegarro5437]

On par with Geralt but never explicitly better

[@agilemind6241]

@@josuegarro5437 There's several hints that Eskel is more powerful or a better swordsman, but not a better person than Geralt. Eskel is closer to the "ideal witcher" : apolitical, unsentimental, expert swordsman combined with magical powers - but less ambitious, less principled, less compassionate, less emotional compared to Geralt.

[@cosmic2750]

@@agilemind6241 As far as my memory serves me, Eskel is not exactly a better "swordsman" than Geralt, but he is rather more talented at magic than most other Witchers. Which is why Triss can sense a stronger magical aura coming from him.

[@ReiraWrites]

I have to say that this second episode gave me the no-no vibes that would haunt me until the last episode. First of all I didn't understand the purpose of showing Elvish traps killing Fringilla's crew when we later discover that Francesca's people are just nomads with no guerrilla organization. I mean, they have traps, they have banners, it could have been so satisfying plot-wise to have the Scoiatael militia already on point. Also, greatly baffled by the old lady character, three great sorceresses of 100+ years did not sniffed out the manipulative evil power of that entity? Last point: so coooool to see the scene in which Triss schools Ciri on the impenetrabile, long path to Kaer Morhen to win her trust over and that only people who were previously taught how to get there could access the fortress and exactly five minutes later the Witcher are having a party with random women found "nearby".

[@tonyng9]

It makes no sense that Geralt knows about the Deathless Mother and the sorceresses do not, especially since Francesca should pre-date the Witchers. The Witchers would have needed magical assistance from mages to trap the Deathless Mother, and they would likely have warned others about it. Yennefer is the only one that suspects that the mysterious spirit could be evil, and she still goes along with it later anyways. And apparently the Deathless Mother could restore a sorceress's womb and let Francesca get pregnant? Why didn't Yennefer ask for that too?

[@ReiraWrites]

@@tonyng9 Exactly! This storyline, as you perfectly pointed out, has no sense right now

[@abhijeetsingh4824]

@@tonyng9 well because it were the witcher who were tasked with killing her other folks have forgotten about it

[@abhijeetsingh4824]

But overall they f@ked up the show

[@carmallym7286]

@@tonyng9 remember also Francesca says she knows it was an entity posing and Ithiline and not Ithiline herself

[@bamba5080]

Lauren talked about Eskel's death and the were originally going to kill some random Witcher named John or something but they change there mind as she wanted that death scene to mean more... Which felt kinda stupid to me.

[@valkiss]

Eskel only means something to book and game fans for it to matter and yeah it was an emotional death... Anger is an emotion, I'm angry they did him dirty...

[@Yo_AB_Breaks]

She made him just as nameless as any of the other 20 Witchers not named Geralt. His death meant nothing to anyone watching that, gamer and book nerds or not.

[@tonytan5945]

Well now it means less.

[@maxmustermann369]

feels like thats the generel consense now in hollywood, especially in series. every episode has to be more flashy, exciting and emotional.

[@huanghouhsiang]

That death scene means more...? No, actually it just means far less.

[@Enzo_RJL]

"something doesn't add up" well that should be the slogan for this entire series

[@jaylucien669]

I really enjoyed Season 2. However the Eskel death, the over-the-top bad portrayal of Lambert and the no Triss-Geralt relationship were indeed head scratchers.

[@TheVileOne]

@@exysa2798 such is life

[@LocoJunius]

I think also having that many witchers kinda took away the closeness of Eskel, Lambert Geralt, Cohen, Vesimir and Ciri which they have in the books as they're the only ones left at Kaer Morhen

[@mariiakorneeva3329]

Killing Eskel was the nastiest decision of this episode. They took a character who has a backstory, is shown from different angles and has volume and turned him into a nameless person for whom we cannot be worried about. If you know this character, you are as angry and frustrated as I am. If not, then you can give him any other name. It turns out that the authors took what is dear to many fans of the world and simply distorted the essence, did not allow to open up and killed. In an interview, the schuraner said that if it was John, everyone would know that John would die. But this is not a story in which we need suspense. John may die, Eskel may die, but that should make sense. Death must give us something. But we can't worry about a character who behaves like a donkey for 3 seconds of screen time. If you watch the series, the authors did this with many characters - removing their depth and what makes them interesting. It is difficult to experience a Geralt who will always be fine - nothing is at stake. He's like a superman in the witcher's universe. I have a feeling that all the characters that could compete with Geralt, Enifer and Ciri are simply changed beyond recognition.

[@theVvids]

You are doing a huge favor to community by doing such effort and making these ! I am loving these reviews.

[@xLetalis]

Thank you :)

[@fabiankunda1365]

@@xLetalis I thank you for watching it, as I just cant make myself. From the very first trailer of 2nd season, I knew its gonna go tits up. You provide great, unbiased review. Which makes me even more sad, cuz it seems like absolute garbage.

[@patrickchow6014]

Honestly he had said all I want to say in this episode, I actually love adding ciri Nivellen story cause that being out a lot more depth to the bruxa. But killing my boy Eskel here without even a proper development of the character is just barbarous

[@niksterkai4303]

Leshkel indeed was a huge mistake. Merry Christmas to all and happy holidays.

[@oceanidmakesmewet3739]

Eskel was my favourite 2nd witcher :/. But i didnt like him in the show at all so im glad he died.

[@tobi5988]

@@oceanidmakesmewet3739 I think the reason why he's an A-Hole in the show is because the Leshen infected him and was screwing around with his brain. But still though, him getting killed off was bullshittery of the highest degree. He didn't deserve that.

[@joehanz9217]

Soloing Manticore & High Vampire, Die because a Lehsen..

[@atharvakalele37]

everything is a mistake here man....I love the witcher 3 and hated everything the show or the anime..

[@mikepette4422]

and then we got to see the killer "Leshy" for like 3 seconds before it was ripped in half by another random monster

[@asimasali3371]

I am actually more excited about xLetalis' reviews then the show itself!

[@TheKnightDrag0n]

@Cthulhu kek

[@UAGoWSuplexer]

Bruh kid

[@asimasali3371]

@Cthulhu indeed hahahaha

[@jacob._6459]

That’s just stupid 🤣🤣

[@Mystra]

@@jacob._6459 Why?

[@SenseofNoneYT]

I had the same exact thought. They brought in canon-fodder Witchers and still they decided to kill off Eskel like that. I don't know what was more disappointing, his death or the fact that they made him out to be a sleazy bastard.

[@yetipotato8567]

Agreed. And They had the cannonfodder witchers but didnt have them take part in fighting Leshen

[@chriss790]

Cannon fodder witchers wouldn't have shock value effect that they were going for. Dont think they executed well, but idea can be good.

[@cosmic2750]

Honestly. Like, they had so many other "throwaway" witchers so to speak, but instead who do they kill off? Eskel.

[@timelesshunter70]

Did anyone besides me notice that the color of Ciris eyes changes extremely often? In season 1 they where sort of blue or so, in season 2 they changed from really emerald like green to nearly yellow or light blue... That was something that really annoyed me.

[@MasterRaven0707]

and look also at her eyebrows, they are black, although in the first season they were the same color as Ciri's hair.

[@timelesshunter70]

@@MasterRaven0707 that wasn't such a big deal for me as it was a constant change, her eyecolour changed multiple times every episode. But another thing that I found irritating, was that her hair was almost blond, which goes strictly against the lore.

[@Cirilla___]

Netflixs Eskel was like: "Eskel, Eskel - what a prick" Merry Christmas everyone

[@reddragonemperor5217]

Ahahahaha nice

[@alexisea8874]

good one :D

[@deviljack731]

Damn.....damn good!!!! 😆

[@SigilWizardClassic]

Not bad.

[@xLetalis]

Merry Fucking Christmas everyone Also, this video is not sponsored by Gwent :D

[@Scar7ace]

Lol legend

[@nicolasbalderrama3910]

Merry Christmas

[@Unknown_german]

Merry Christmas

[@aniket8350]

Merry Christmas

[@fiel81]

Thanks letalis fucker

[@alexs21-65]

Netflix really did screw up Yennefer. She sounds like an angry child not a well-established, distinguished sorceress. In my opinion, they totally missed the mark with regard to her personality and overall presence as seen in the books.

[@flingymingy]

You are 100% right, the actress is fine but they needed an older cast, she seems about 22 and really petulant. Yennefer has a temper but it’s measured, she isn’t an angry child.

[@xLetalis]

sadly yes... she worked better in Season 1, but now...

[@Onishiro]

She had potential in season 1, almost reminding me of Witcher 3 Yen but her character has no coherent motivation or defined arc other than throwing a tantrum and being a smart ass. Tissia's constant ass kissing is just empty. How could anyone like this broad?

[@CianMcsweeney]

Yeah Anya is a good actress but the lines she's being given by the writing team are terrible

[@suggy_123]

What I'm attributing it to and I could be wrong - I think the writers will put this spin on it in S3 - she was this way this season b/c she lost her powers. She does act different much nearer the end of the season, but I dunno. I did like how Henry Cavill said that they 'need to figure out some of the extreme measures taken...' It's almost like he was like 'looking at you Lauren!'.

[@mVpSlayer]

I'm still speechless about Eskel's death, can't find the words to describe this nonsense...

[@pocpc1788]

At this point I wouldn't be surprise if Netflix decide to kill off other well-known characters.

[@JohnDoe-dj3lw]

@@pocpc1788 at this point I’d not be surprised if the canceled the whole fucking thing, or replaced the key figures in the lead team

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

@@JohnDoe-dj3lw i'm sure Emyr Will be the next butchered character, i'm nearly sure he Will be a stupid warmongerr angry man that Will be outsmarted and mocked easily, maybe by ciri herself or yen

[@HenryVth]

1:58 In a making of video they say that they are aware that there less witcher left than they put in Kaer Morhen, but they wanted the place to be a bit more filled with life so they decided to add some witchers

[@elizabethalderman8749]

The writing and questionable choices are so irritating. This episode killed my hopes and as a book fan I was super livid. I’ll get all my updates on the train wreck from you, my friend. Eskel actually had some mystique in the books - Triss suspected he might be stronger than Geralt (glad you covered it!) and we didn’t see from the books if that was true. The Witcher 3 gave him some spotlight but he deserves more.

[@xLetalis]

indeed!

[@Alex-dn5ns]

So, Triss suspected Eskel might be stronger than Eskel? :O Damn!

[@aniket8350]

Stronger than geralt you mean

[@asimasali3371]

I get why they killed him, because he is loved by the game fans. However they screwed that up when they changed his character. I felt nothing when he was killed because in my mind that isn't Eskal I know from the books or the game!

[@MyBrainGlows]

series is just based on books, there is no need to follow the original story, you can do what you want with that world you bought and create you own ideas around it.

[@zmazanac707]

Did you notice when Lambert is telling a story he mimics pulling a sword out from the hip and not from the back?

[@xLetalis]

I'll mention that in the next episode

[@hollowtomato]

The rest of the witchers don't seem like professional monster hunters. They seem more like ordinary mercenaries or vikings.

[@bjornlothbrok3604]

@@hollowtomato u got that from what exactly?

[@bjornlothbrok3604]

Things like this are so small but yall gonna complain anyways

[@hollowtomato]

@@bjornlothbrok3604 The description of the witchers in the books, the way they are portrayed in the games and comparing how Henry Cavill portrays Geralt as a monster hunter to Lambert or Coen in the series.

[@thehoodedvagabum7375]

Thank God xLetalis is alive. I thought he would have a heart attack and a mental breakdown watching that second episode. Marry Christmas!

[@TheWitcher_kiyan]

I did lol 😆

[@xLetalis]

[@adamfowler350]

Netflix is competing with Disney now, to see if they can destroy The Witcher, as badly as Disney destroyed Star Wars.

[@avalon5957]

Yeah, Netflix Netflixed the series so hard. The most controversial thing they did in season 2 aside from their utter bullshit stories, is that they made Yenefer betray both Geralt AND Ciri! The Geralt we know from the books and the games would have chopped her head off in a heartbeat. I know that when book-wise, Ciri and Yen meets, Geralt and Yen has had their on/off relationship for decades, but the show did *NOTHING* to establish that, as they're rarely seen together, in fact I think they're only seen together 3 times throughout the seasons before Geralt pulls his sword on her; 1. When they first meet, and where Netflix *BUTCHERED* the Djinn story, to instead have the crazy powerful Yen sit with her tits out like some random hussy, instead of actually battling the creature and teleporting around, party crashing and destroying *several* buildings (which is one of my favourite scenes in the books, as it established that she is crazy powerful and that she will do anything to get what she want, screw the rest.) 2. The dragonhunt, where Netflix, again, butchered *everything* and left out the key moments of Yen & Geralts relationship, except for their tent shag and superficial talk. 3. When they meet at "Meletele" where Yen decides to say, fuck it, and betray Ciri and Geralt. Also, feckin'ell! It's Melí-tele, emphasis on the >i

[@hahaimout1693]

Ok, yes, I'm pissed what they did to Eskel, but imagine all the budget of the CGI they spent on turning Eskel into Groot when they've could have done it in any other way to serve the same purpose, with another witcher created for the show or something

[@IsItFunorNot]

it was mostly practical effects watch the behind the scenes of it

[@An_Editor4507]

@@IsItFunorNot It's also a practically shit thing to do.

[@akulakorsun159]

You missed when Yen says to Fringilla that she's never seen an elven mage and literally 30 seconds later calls her Francesca like if they were good friends.

[@Spinosaurus44]

It annoys me how Yen just blurts out that she’s an elf while captured by them. She’s only quarter elf

[@akulakorsun159]

@@Spinosaurus44 Just like American people claiming they are 0.17% Irish during St Patrick's day :D

[@xLetalis]

That's just one of the many bits that make me dislike Yen's character in this season

[@katearcher8514]

I kinda understand why she said so tho. Was trying to save her life for one. But more than that, she was twisted and bullied and unloved by her father because of the elven blood, I guess she thought this was high time she could use it to her advantage for once. Isn't it sad that being a quarter-elf deprives her of a place among both humans and elves?

[@akulakorsun159]

@@katearcher8514 What i said wasn't very clear, sorry. She was tied to the tree with Fringilla and said to her that she's never seen an elven mage before. While litterally 30 seconds later, still tied to the same tree and having the same discussion, she refers to "the elven mage" as Francesca, like she has know her for years. That's a continuity error if i see one.

[@rhythmray7429]

And Vesemir gives fatherly advice to Geralt and as a father of 2 girls I can relate to it *Proceeds to sell Ciri once again for 3000th time

[@xLetalis]

[@celuloiddreamer]

You nailed it when you said you don’t see the point of killing off eskel for book readers, game players or new to the series show watchers. It made no sense at all for anyone. Absolutely mind boggling choice. Again… character development of any kind is just lacking with this series.

[@SHARQwithaQ]

Most of this episode was the 'Look how they massacred my boy' meme for me. Not just for Eskel who has a special place in my heart but for how they were butchering everything else. As a casual fan I liked this season but the nerd in me hated this season too, for the most part. I get that they need to cram so much from the books into 8 episodes but the way they do it is just not good in my opinion. Everything that they made exclusively for the show is just bad and tells you if not for the books, this show would have been a dud from beginning to end. I don't know I thought I liked it when I finished it but the more I think on it the more I hate what they did with the stories, the characters, etc. Edit- After watching the Blood Origin trailer after this season, I have almost no hope of enjoying it too. Just gonna have to play the games and read the books again to get my fix.

[@TroyBoyleAtheistAdvocate]

Eskel gave off a confident, mature vibe in the games. Something like a samurai or a Ronin. A sword-build Witcher, if you will, where Geralt is a bit more of a sign-build. I feel like they gave Eskel's game-personality to Coen.

[@Mr_Ink0gnit0]

I am sad, that people are so angry about Eskel's death, that they ignore all other bigger problems the show has, like plotholes or butchering relationships. Its the same like Triss's hair color last season. Yeah it is different but not storybreaking, like those other things. Now we have Triss with slightly more accurate hair, but a much messier story compared to first season.

[@inferknowingfrank]

Can't blame you on that man. I spent the entire time watching the last few episodes saying "wtf is this". I think the Eskel thing hits so hard because every Witcher scene in episode 2 (Eskel mostly) feels like a spit in the face of the players of the games (and books somewhat)

[@Deeplycloseted435]

I think she is poorly written, and the actress is noticeably bland and unremarkable for such a big character. She seems like local theater material TBH. There is something too casual about the dialogue at times and it bothers me. Too much modern slang and euphemisms. It feels wrong every time.

[@sachindash2033]

True

[@Volkbrecht]

It's not just the story. I basically stopped watching at episode 6 now because the pacing of the show and the quality of the dialogues is just so bad I can't take it any more. Sapkowski's books don't really make for good, filmable source material, so I am not uncomfortable with the degree of artistic freedom the makers of the show took, but they were intelligently written and had a lot of smart jokes, and the show doesn't mirror any of that.

[@dranzerjetli5126]

Dude most of us know eskel from the games bruh.

[@TheAcidtoxic]

The Eskel thing almost seems like a "Fuck you! This is our story now!" kind of thing, where the showmakers try to tell the audience that they "officially" freed themselves from the source material, and whatever they do now that goes against the canon of the books or the games shouldn't be immediately criticised, because they are now telling their own story in the Witcher universe, free from the boundaries of the source material. It might be them wanting to get more artistic freedom in deciding how the story will move forward, or simply damage control...

[@redith137]

YEP

[@theheavenlyfb4071]

The irony of that is that despite how they had "freed themselves" from the book lore, they still use a ton of it afterward just to keep their patch job going.

[@Yo_AB_Breaks]

I'd be totally fine with that if what they're replacing the source material with was any good at all. Instead of the epic it is in the source books and games, it's just general fantasy shit seen in any other just-ok Hollywood fantasy. They free themselves from the source material to what? Film garbage instead? Really pown'd the fans there lol.

[@goromajima6169]

im fine with some changes if it turn out good but the writers make it worse

[@KidSereneonxbox]

The problem with something like this is it's entirely built off the popularity of the books and games. They made a Witcher show riding the hype of the books and games to butcher it and be like "it's our own story" if it's your own story then it's not the Witcher. You can't take someone who is the main character and just start making stuff up and being like "it's our universe get over it" because it's not. The entire foundation of the universe is based off the books. This is why most live actions don't do well because they will stray so far from the original content that's it's almost like a huge Fuck you to all the real fans

[@Gregoses]

I just cant wait for Geralt to be amazed by Fringilla's beauty in Toussaint lol

[@TC-ry1jw]

I feel like the line, "walked one, talked like one... Kind of" wasn't him literally saying that the Leshen spoke but just using an idiom. When we say, "walks like a duck, talks like a duck" nobody questions wether we've met a talking duck.

[@xLetalis]

I find this unlikely for a few reasons, first off, they make a specific point about whether Leshens talk or not in the anime, also the prostitute with whom Eskel is seen later makes a point how her client spoke to a Leshen. Finally the phrase 'walks like a duck, talks like a duck' doesn't in my opinion fit the setting. Also, what is the origin of this phrase anyway, it sounds peculiar to me :)

[@stillleaf4494]

I was very confused by this episode. Like why did they kill off Eskel. I mean they did make changes to season 1 but this hit the hardest

[@xLetalis]

who knows

[@Nisus_Wettus]

@@xLetalis the role was recast. Maybe that was why

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@xLetalis official reason is because they wanted to show the dangers having Ciri brought and also have an emotional moment. It seems they planned to have one of the new witcher to die but they were like "oh, it's not good creating a witcher just to die, no one will care, let's kill and established character, people will care then"

[@spoons250]

@@xLetalis Cheap, easy emotional exploitation of a fan favorite thats not dandelion because people simping for the lute is bringing them half of their views at this point. Should have gotten rid of this almost unbearable version of Jaskier and given Eskel more shine than he had in the books. Everything that was slightly annoying about him in season one is turned up to 11 and he speaks exclusively in quips and sounds like hes been hitting the fisstech hard.

[@dermihandro]

I saw in an Interview that they planned to kill a witcher called John (I think) but felt like it would be too obvious for the new character to die, so they chose eskel instead. I still hope that the theory that the guy who died was not eskel but a doppler will come true ... it could be one way to hold the tension but not stray too far from the books.

[@XxXasparXxX]

People say that just because the show doesn’t follow the books it doesn’t mean that it’s bad, so I tried to look at it as a stand alone series and it’s still bad and I’m not just talking about the numerous plot holes, the dialogue, the narrative, the edits they’re all bad. Was the show made for the book readers? Then why did they stray so much from the source material? Was the show made for normies? Then why did they leave the convoluted plot that only the book readers can decipher? Is it really that hard to write down “5 years ago” “2 years ago” “present times” or just change their outfits or hairstyles to denote the passage of time. The show runner herself said that this was done on purpose, why? Season 2 episode 1 ended with Yennefer and Fringilla being attacked by someone with harpoons and only them surviving, then it cuts to another scene, then it cuts back and they’re unconscious in a wagon. How did they disable 2 witches? How did they knock them out? Why didn’t they just kill them? These cuts are stupid and the same thing was in episode 2, the house on the chicken legs looks at them, then a cut, and a cut back and they’re unconscious inside the house. What happened? Why were they knocked out? Who dragged them inside?

[@xLetalis]

The games are great and they tell a completely different story, the problem is not that it isn't the same as the books, but that it's worse

[@gerhardashgrey9294]

@Aspar That is well said, I couldn't express it better than you did, I completely agree with you.

[@keyproblems7590]

My dad knew nothing about the Witcher going in to the show and was just confused the entire time. It’s definitely not for new viewers. And it’s not for people who know the lore bc they will be angry We have to remember it’s a Netflix show. Netflix shows = shitty writing, plot holes, and wokeness

[@nikossampanis299]

@@xLetalis NO ONE could state it better brother

[@Enzo_RJL]

It almost feels like the showrunners didn't read the books at all. Like they only read book's summary and decided that they can do everything better. They're so careless with the characters that it's almost disrespectful and the worst part is that none of this needed to happen. The show has a ton of potential that's just being wasted with every season.

[@ladansemakabre]

i'm genuinely scared for s3. it's supposed to cover the Thanedd coup, but seeing how little they know about the books they might butcher that too.

[@c292r89dvbh]

The showrunner probably didn’t read the books. And Lauren said that the writers were specifically chosen because they were not “Sapkowski scholars” - probably to ensure they didn’t know more than her and call out her nonsense.

[@CaliOaklander]

@@c292r89dvbh I didn't even realize that she did that, but after watching a lot of her interviews lately I can say with certain she will Kathleen Kennedy the witcher series.

[@c292r89dvbh]

@@CaliOaklander Great comparison!

[@ad7265]

Omg I am Kazakh and I feel so honoured you mentioned it

[@ipraytovodka]

IIRC Dol Blathana (Valley Of Flowers) in the books was the setting for one of my favorite short stories - the one where Geralt fights a deovil and meets Filavandrel. It is true that the territory the elves got was called Dol Blathana as well. I forget - either the land they got from Nilfgard was in the same area or they named it that as a reference to the original land since their deity and protecting spirit of that valley essentially abandoned them for the humans

[@graysaltine6035]

I'm more mad about how much they changed his character than the fact they killed him - and I'm not super keen on "Lambchop" either. There can be legitimate reasons for altering plot or aesthetics when translating text to screen, but there's never a good reason to change a character's _character._ That's just straight malicious intent towards the source material. You're no longer adapting it, you're twisting it.

[@DexterNewton32]

he was only a minor character, but it legit feels like character assassination. i agree.

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

@@DexterNewton32 not that minor and outside geralt/ jaskier, none of the other characters are that prominent in the books either, including ciri and yen, but the showrunners didn't have any problem on making them both equally Main characters like Geralt

[@thespartanfox]

I thought Yenn's vision was of a young Tissaia. The actress had the right face shape and her mannerisms, and it sort of makes sense when you think about how Tissaia was Yenn's first mentor/pathway towards power.

[@theoriginalmikee]

That was my first thought as well

[@ladansemakabre]

yeah sadly Yen said herself that it was her... even tho she is not a hunchback xD

[@GiltleyRage]

Yup, totally looked and acted like teenage Tissaia, the young actress nailed it.

[@natura6911]

My thoughts too!! I never thought it was Yen since the vision wasn't a hunchback and didn't look anything like her. Not only does she look like Tissaia, she calls Yen "Piglet" like she does in season 1, that was the moment I knew it had to be her

[@jcksparrowfan]

My problem with the show is, while Geralt and Ciri didn't meet in the same place they did the books, it could still be rectified, it just happens in a different place. And Henry and Freya have amazing chemistry, so they were the highlight this season, even if other characters suffered. But IMO, they completely fucked up Geralt and Yen's relationship, I didn't like the way they were written in the first season as a couple, so they did nothing for me in the second. but I don't care how good Henry and Anya are, their characters still don't click well cuz they were written poorly. Individually, they're fine, but together, nope.

[@xLetalis]

I agree about the Yen/Geralt. In fact Yen didn't even work for me on her own this season

[@jcksparrowfan]

@@xLetalis Gotta admire Anya's effort tho. She acted her little heart out. And the rewrite on how she gave Rience his burn was a nice one, I liked that. No magic, but she still used his fire against him, which does make Yen resourceful and able to think fast on her feet.

[@ladansemakabre]

they butchered Yen and Ciri's relationship too and ngl i'm really bitter about that. basically they messed up Yen's character and along that, her relationship with both Geralt and Ciri.

[@Silly_Illidan]

Isn't that exactly what their relationship is in the books...? They come together...don't click... seperate...come back together after few decades....hook up....quarrel .. seperate...rinse and repeat

[@jcksparrowfan]

@@Silly_Illidan Not the way the show writes it. Besides, in the book, when Geralt makes his wish she actually picks it up from his mind and knows immediately, and its implied they lived together for a few years before upping and leaving, hence why she's pissed at him in "Bounds of Reason". In the show, they completely changed it to where she DOESN'T know his wish, he leaves literally the day after their one-night-stand, so when they "reunite" for the dragon hunt, they've barely known one another.

[@alexryll9237]

I haven’t watched the full season yet but at this point the Netflix show feels more like fanfiction than a faithful adaptation of the source material

[@diegoolivaresgonzalez42]

The Witcher 3 is a FanFiction... This is a bad FanFiction.

[@windenast]

even some fanfictions have a better written story, than this garbage.

[@ricardomora9913]

The death of Eskel was so stupid, if he is one of the oldest witchers for him to be this stupid in the show is just bad writing.

[@Onishiro]

This episode's treatment of Eskel is a perfect encapsalation of this series; Poorly cast, mischaracterized, and poorly adapted. He looked terrible and served as a pointless character that could easily have gone to one of the many red shirt witchers, who were apparently too stupid or out of practice to find a giant leshen (lmfao at "leshy") wrecking one of their rooms. Fucking terrible. I now hate this series short of Geralt, Cahir, Emhyr, Triss, and Ciri.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Tris actress is pretty bland imo

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Cahir tho is one of the few things I liked it was fun to watch him punk the elves but that was like the only enjoyment I got out of the season besides the first episode

[@xLetalis]

true

[@Aletdinov]

It was "leshy" in the books, and sounds more like the original name of the creature in Slavic languages, or at least in Russian ("леший"). Everything else is spot on.

[@bertiec1593]

I don’t think the cast is the issue. I honestly think the whole cast has potential if the writing was any good. But the writing is poor and really doesn’t allow the cast to capture most of the characters properly

[@batt0usai377]

Eskel was the first person to greet Ciri and made a strong impression on her about Witcher and Kaer Morhen in general. If the show is taking book-inspiration, at least provide us that. So much rush!

[@RyanPiano25]

I've just been replaying The Witcher 2 and can honestly say that the video games are a much better adaptation than the show. The writing is miles better and the world and characters behave in a much more realistic way. After watching season 2 I highly recommend jumping into another Witcher playthrough!

[@ianmullin6227]

I think the games have the opportunity to feel more natural given the amount of content

[@yavuzselimcagan5233]

I need new witcher games more than ever after watching season 2. It wass soooo bad.

[@DexterNewton32]

Im replaying Witcher 1 rn. Voice acting is meh, and there are technical issues on W10. Good times tho, even TW1 was a great adaptation compared to this goddamn season. If this was any regular Netflix original show Id be like 'decent show, 8/10'. The plot was sometimes weird, convoluted and confusing. The stuff they were going for did not always work (i.e. being sad about 'Eskel's' death did not work since he was such a creep before it happened and I / people never connected to him emotionally), but for a generic fantasy it would have been ok. The camera work, music and practical effects were reslly good imo (except for a few rare cases of bad cgi). But for a Witcher adaptation advertised as 'sticking close to the source material' it sucked ass beyond episode 1.

[@RyanPiano25]

@@DexterNewton32 They had one job and that was sticking to the source material and still managed to mess it up

[@DennisCeteris]

Dammit Littlefinger. If only there was something we could go back to for the mess that was Game of Thrones, incomplete books aside.

[@Square-Atom]

I really sad for Eskel. They turned him to an ass before kill him. Even a short moment at Ep 3 doesn't make him any better.

[@yetipotato8567]

Look how they massacred my boy. It would so easily been some new redshirt noobie witcher

[@michaelrendler3703]

It's kinda sad that book fans, of any series really, have no reason to be excited for adaptations anymore. It's weird how people take a series that's popular, and think it's in their best interest to completely alter it. I only watched one episode of this season, and it happened to be this one. At no point in this episode did I ever enjoy it. I was just confused by what was happening. Don't watch the show anymore, because you are just supporting a garbage project that honestly should be cancelled.

[@CM-hk8so]

Same, I hated the change to Yennifers storyline. I wish they had stayed with her losing her eyesight instead of her powers. And I would have liked to see her and Ciri not get along at first, then they bond. The way they chose to portray her this season will affect the tone for the rest of the season and its just not the Yen that I grew to love In the books or game. And I didn't like how Geralt so easily fit into the role of a parents figure. It would have been more natural for him to be awkward in the role, not knowing how to handle a teenage girl's emotions. More like brushing them off and treating them like the plague. Then she shows trust in him, he softens and starts to awkwardly show affection.

[@michaelrendler3703]

@@CM-hk8so well that was the point of Triss in Blood of Elves. When she is lecturing the Witchers on Ciri’s struggles as a girl, and what she was going through. It was hilarious because all of them looked clueless and uncomfortable, which totally makes sense.

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

@@CM-hk8so thats another problem, Even Henry wanting to be an accurate depiction of Geralt, he feels more like the witcher 3 Geralt than early books Geralt

[@torakka2ow640]

@@diegosotomiranda4107 True. He is going for a game Geralt, but the problem is that there was character development in the books which led to the game Geralt. Now he just kind of spawns in and is already that "perfect" version of Geralt from The Witcher 3 which fans have grown to love.

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

Does anyone else feel like the elves look too normal? In the books it was specified that pretty much every elf was born perfectly beautiful, which is why people find an elf as mutilated as Isengrim so utterly terrifying. Specifically Francesca; the actress playing her is really pretty, but the way she's described in the books she's basically meant to be Galadriel crossed with Megan Fox. Also, Filavandrel in the show just looks like some random guy they pulled off the street and shoved a wig on. He is one the dullest looking elves in fantasy I've ever seen.

[@xLetalis]

some look too human, it's true

[@digitalquartergod2989]

They pulled it off better in the games, all the elves have very distinct facial features to the point that you could almost recognize them without the ears. In the show they are long eared humans

[@devanman7920]

ya I do get what your saying but like Francesca's actress is pretty much as hot as you can get imo haha. I think they wanted to make the elves seem more realistic also I agree Filavandrel looked so forgettable....So much of the casting just seems awful to me like almost every secondary character are just so bad an forgettable. I can barely picture in my head what the secondary characters look like from the first season. It just seems like such a badly put together show.

[@c.a.3936]

I think considering the elves the problem is more about style and makeup, less about casting. They lack a certaine... concept, I think? For example, lord of the rings 20 years ago did a good job highlighting certaine features in almost every single elf while the humans didn't get that treatment. For example the cheek bones, nose shape and such and there was an intense highlighting of elven eyes in many scenes. I think having such a kind of makeup concept kept with at least every talking elf character would already helped a lot with their overall design. And I think Francesca's actress was really fine. She just lacked the certaine something, the special touch of the makeup department to look a bit more outlandish, a bit less human.

[@r.d.6290]

@@c.a.3936 Wasn't Francesca supposed to be a more high-society political figure, just like all sorceresses are? Working for hers and Scoiata'el rebels' agenda, but not being some hobo chieftain of theirs?

[@jcksparrowfan]

I know what Eskel forgot. He ran low on Dimeritium Bombs.

[@alexisea8874]

he forgot to summon his goat

[@tobi5988]

@@alexisea8874Nah he did. But Lil Bleater was just, too late.

[@joehanz9217]

Or he just Max his Quen & didn't use Igni

[@SoranotRoxas]

Ah yes! The episode that killed my hyped for the rest of the season. And its only in the second episode, its amazing how they did that so quick! 😑. Seriously, I never lost interest in a season this early. It usually takes to the third episode atleast

[@jjhh320]

I went from enjoying it to just putting up with it. By the time it became clear that Voleth Muir wasn't just a side plot, but the actual plot...I was just like w/e, eat popcorn and watch the random fantasy show

[@Yo_AB_Breaks]

Yep. This one tanked it for me too. It was just so dumb that there was no chance for immersion or to give a shit about what these characters were going through. The dumb demon antagonist vs Ciri capped off the absurdity that began in this episode.

[@katearcher8514]

@@jjhh320 right? Like wtf, don't you have enough plot in the books to make up your own bullshit story?

[@CapitanDePlai]

I binge watched the second season a week ago but i don't remember most of the things that happened after the 2nd episode, that's how much they impressed me

[@racernatorde5318]

Third episode? That sounds suspicously like GoT

[@LockShockBarrel57]

Lil' Bleater had a cameo in Kaer Morhen too haha

[@iKozak99]

Henry and Joey seem to really care about the source material and it just seems like the writers and directors aren't giving them (or the fans) what they need. I hope season 3 will be closer to the books. Obviously it shouldn't EXACTLY follow the books because then, you may as well just read the books, but truly, if I didn't know the names of each character, I wouldn't know this was a Witcher show.

[@yetipotato8567]

Agreed. Rather make new charecters than change the well known ones. At least have some sort of claim to follow the canon of the books or the game

[@kingdoom5022]

Eskel in witcher 3 : a powerful witcher that is GIGACHAD friend and protect his friend daughter no matter what Eskel in witcher Netflix : guess i will die lol

[@flingymingy]

Tbf this is based off the book and he barely appears in it.

[@gigabilly1160]

@@flingymingy the only thing this show and books have in common is the title

[@malcolm4737]

@@flingymingy And in the books Eskel was kind, polite, resourceful and, you know, alive.

[@flingymingy]

@@gigabilly1160 agreed, just don’t see why people don’t take the show for what it is, it isn’t meant to be doing 1:1 it’s an adaptation, the games are totally removed from the books in some aspects too, it’s not the end of the world.

[@gigabilly1160]

@@flingymingy ofc, its hard (or even impossible) to make a 1:1 adaptation, no one expected them to do that. Every good adaptations changed some things, LoTR, Dune, even CDPR in their trylogy. But you must understand that Netflix didnt just "changed some things", they literally took the title and threw everything else into the garbage. Everything that Sapkowski wrote, from the characters to world bulding, Lauren ignored it and decided that she can write a better story and oh boy, she was so wrong. If we take the show for what it is we still get a total disaster. This world just doesnt feel alive, its dumb, inconsistent and contradicts itself at every step. The facts that showrunnes producent something so awful from such a great source material is just shameful. And trust me, you dont need to read the books to see how bad this show is, i motivated myself to read them after season 1. It was a generic and poorly written fantasy show then, and now it only gets worse as Lauren shows more of her "artistic vision"

[@CharlesZane_]

Since season 1, I've notice that most things they take from the books get reversed. Even when it causes great harm to the overall story. I'm convinced at this point that most of it IS intentional, in order to cause the obvious harm to the story.

[@ItsMeStrider]

It really can't have any other reason at this point. These people clearly think they know better than the author.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

I'd say they either think themselves so clever as to write better stuff than the books, or they're so out of the depth that they don't realised how much they fuck up by changing things

[@ItsMeStrider]

@@MandalorSkyrd Both. Yes, both.

[@andyhx2]

I am starting to believe that the show runners want the outrage of criticism because they feel it brings more attention to the show.

[@seekerpat]

I have a simpler reason: they can't find their own ass with both hands and a flashlight.

[@Dio-nm9wv]

Netflix should hire you as a Witcher expert. I don’t think there’s anyone more knowledgeable of the Witcher world than you. You’d make the series infinite times better

[@8Paul7]

That implies netflix writers actually give a shit about doing it right...they dont

[@PureLuck-tk5tk]

Did anybody noticed Ciri's hairstyle this season, it looks like Elsa. I guess she's watched some Disney movies. 😂

[@alexweh]

19:37 I think it's just a wolf, in a medieval art style for certain but I cannot see that that could be an animal from any other Witcher school.

[@diyeana]

I was shocked when they killed Eskel. I am sure they're trying to surprise us with changes from the books and games, but it would have been a great opportunity to show them reversing a curse. *pours one out for Eskel*

[@diyeana]

I still love Henry Cavill. What a guy.

[@jjhh320]

This season really just made the witchers look incompetent, only being there to die ineffectually to make the stakes seem higher. Showing them pooling their collective know-how and expertise to handle curses, new monsters, and a possessed Ciri would've done so much to convince us that the witchers were far more competent and trustworthy at helping Ciri than any of the big schemers out there.

[@Yo_AB_Breaks]

If it made any sense or even supported any part of their ridiculous story, it'd be fine. Instead it was just nothing. It didn't matter even to their version of the Witcher.

[@katearcher8514]

Have you seen the Polish show? They killed Vesemir. Oh, and he wasn't even a witcher there, he was some kind of a druid that makes witchers. The amount of bullshit in this season and that show are now even. But that one had more soul at least.

[@danzosarutobi6409]

"and the actor maybe slightly out of shape" had me giggling a bit.

[@alittlecreepywhenyou]

Remember when the internet wanted Mark Hamill to play Vesemir? It would have been "...a little frail and underweight." Edit: Or, "...a little short for a Witcher?"

[@maxmustermann369]

didnt even noticed it to much, was to preoccupied by how much the whole series is out of shape...

[@malekiththeeternityking5433]

Merry Christmas everyone. And this Episode is cancer what they did to Eskel and Yen screw the show runners

[@alexisea8874]

yes i agree merry christmas :D

[@juvantae]

geralt looking like he about to drop some bars 0:01

[@GoldenMaskedChad]

Hey witch king! How’s your mother?

[@malekiththeeternityking5433]

@@GoldenMaskedChad Fine

[@Pirelli913]

Lauren Hissrich was honestly a terrible choice to be showrunner. She's ruined the show from the first episode. And worst of all, I have a lot of friends who enjoy the show, a few of them have played Witcher 3, but none of them have read the books. I've played through all three games and read most of the books (I need to re-read them actually) and it baffles my mind some of the awful changes made from the books. For the most part, I thought season 2 was better than season 1, but that's not saying much.

[@DarthDainese69]

If rumours are true and Henry is fighting to keep Geralt in line with the books, I’m not surprised she’s getting other areas of the story further from the books, and thus, the show runner doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing

[@StrelecaTV]

Yeah, tbh I'm suprised in this day and age there is male lead with positive masculine traits of a strong protector as one man should be.

[@richtea615]

Any dream Yennifer has of an ideal life with Geralt _must_ include a stuffed unicorn.

[@xLetalis]

[@Witcherino]

The episode had the worst decision in the whole season but I don't think it's even the worst episode. That's something. -I agree with you, Yennefer is probably the worst character of the season, awful lines, really out of character and it gets worse by the episode. Selling Ciri to the deathless mother was just too much, great way to start a family, selling the daughter of the man you love. -Francesca looks pretty good but doesn't really is the Francesca from the books, too out of character, especially later. She has the looks though. -In the Netflix canon, acording to the Nightmare of the Wolf, everything was destroyed in Kaer Morhen. How they made over 20+ new witchers is beyond me since only Lambert, Eskel and Geralt survived. I have to say that having so many witchers there was a bad decision, it lost the feeling of a small family in Kaer Morhen. -Vesemir has the looks, but again, acts too out of character later. -Eskel? Where do I start, they killed his character first by turning him into an asshole, then again by turning him into a leshen... they have like 20 new witcher but decided to kill Eskel. There's no emotional attachment because he was barely there, so it was pointless. -Lambert doesn't really look like I imagined, but acts kind of like the Lambert of the game so he's fine. A bit of a bully towards Ciri instead of some tough love while training her, that could have been done better but he's fine. -The Nilfgaardian language is derived from Elder Speech, that's why they're so similar. Fringilla not knowing that Xintrea means Cintra was as bad as the writing of the show. -In the books as you said most elves after certain age can't get pregnant, and it's harder for sorceresses for the whole "losing fertility for the magic" stuff. Also most young elves died during Aelirenn's rebellion and that's why it's so hard. A pregnant Francesca makes no sense, even if the baby was because of the deathless mother. -Prostitutes at Kaer Morhen, how did they get there? Did Eskel rode with them from the closest town in Kaedwen to Kaer Morhen? That sounds like a lot of work, also the keep is supposed to be secret, terrible idea to bring people there. Vesemir allowing it it's, once more, very out of character. Why didn't the medallions hum if Eskel was already infected with the leshen's magic? Out of the 58 minutes of episode, probably 4 had do to something with the books Geralt arriving at Kaer Morhen with Ciri, Ciri training and that's it. Why call it adaptation when 90% is new?

[@xLetalis]

Thank you for the extensive comment :( At this point i'm not even sure I want to watch Season 3

[@Witcherino]

@@xLetalis I'm not interested at all, Lauren said the third season is already written and that was before the backlash. At this point we're not getting the story of the books anymore.

[@rickym5474]

A major positive is how well they recreated Kaer Moren from the games, and the medallion was a nice little easter egg. The rest of it was a total shit show.

[@PaleRider559]

About the Witcher Medallions... All of the witchers had different ones... the one next to the "Game Medallion", was, most likely, another Wolf. It actually makes more sense for each Witcher to have a unique medallion, since they would have been hand-made (or hand-molded), at various times in Kaer Morhen's long history, by many different people.

[@jawwadaziz14]

Eagerly waiting for the reviews of other episodes... Pls post them soon

[@Spills51]

You nailed it with the fact that Eskel wasnt given nearly enough time before they killed him to get any emotional payoff. Those who never read the GOT books still were floored when they actually beheaded Ned STark because you knew him and they had built a relationship with the viewer before his end. So while I have no issue with Eskel being killed off, killing off a named and known character before actually building that relationship is in fact bad writing...And because of Eskew being basically like all the other NPC's makes it that in fact they should of just had one of them turn and be killed. Seemed far to rushed and an attempt at brownee points as in "WATCH OUT....ANYONE CAN DIE" but its missing all the ingredients that made episodes like "The Red Wedding" so damn memorable and dramatic. From now on when someone is killed off poorly Im going to say "OH, THEY PULLED AN ESKEL" LOL I have to be honest....if it wasnt for Geralt being cast so spot on...would season 1 been as welcomed as it was??? The show is ok....but "ok" isnt very memorable, is it???

[@alexweh]

Though it wasn't explicitly said, I liked the idea of the medallion tree functioning as some kind of alarm dor when monsters would enter the keep it hums signaling the witchers that something is wrong.

[@xLetalis]

:) sure

[@kjanikova6731]

I'm rewatching season 1 and Geralt literally says in one of the episodes (when they get captured by the elves) "demons aren't real". And s2 big bad is an ancient demon. Sigh.

[@xLetalis]

hah I forgot about that!

[@chriss790]

i mean, let's be real, the whole point of Geralt is that he's a skeptic i.e. golden dragon myth.

[@alecb823]

I just finished the show, and after watching your reviews it’s really sad how poorly they handled vesemirs character

[@TheUruse]

Genius writer: Gives new purpose for a small character to shine. Netflix writer: Doesn't showed up in further books equal dead.

[@arc7878]

Yeah its strange that they kill of Eskel and kind of replaced his role with Coen.

[@MultiQwerty420]

That is why they made him look bad. But later we see him in a flashback scene with geralt to show his better side. Maybe this flashback scene was pushed in by Henry or someone else.

[@gingerbaker_toad696]

Those short clips without sound of Eskel fighting in Kaer Morhen from W3 just gave me more goosebumps than the entire show could

[@nevar23]

I feel like they could've let one of the red shirt witchers turn into the leshen, then if they absolutely had to have Eskel die, have him go out defending Ciri or Geralt or something? I think that would've had the necessary emotional impact on Geralt that apparently the writers were after.

[@c292r89dvbh]

Beau DeMayo wrote this episode. He also wrote episode 3 of season 1. Now, only this week, he mentioned Netflix Witcher in an interview: _"I’ve been on show - namely Witcher - where some of _*_the writers_*_ were not or _*_actively disliked the books and games, even actively mocking the source material._*_ It’s a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you’re allowed to add to its legacy."_

[@JohnSmith-ls3um]

This series makes me want to reread the books, replay the Witcher III, and rewatch seasons 1-7 of Game of Thrones.